[DaveM]

I just installed a hitch on my 2018 Metris. Mercedes dealers wouldn't do it after the original purchase. All aftermarket hitches for the Metris hang lower than the original equipment hitch. This is a big problem if you get a flat and need to access the spare tire underneath the chassis. There is no room to slide the spare out past the aftermarket hitch. You have to jack up the rear end to have the clearance to slide the spare tire out.

 

[pounce]

good day . a couple of days ago I bought a metris. and also want to install a hitch. parts and bolts I can buy, how to tell my dealers what to do. the car will be shipped to Ukraine as I live in Ukraine. maybe there is a firmware version or something like that

Interesting you didn't want to buy a Vito from a country that is closer. Mostly the same van.

 

[iurii]

Interesting you didn't want to buy a Vito from a country that is closer. Mostly the same van.

Mercedes VIN Decoder | Decode Your Mercedes-Benz VIN

Datacard for 2016 Mercedes-Benz 121KB/ L 4X2 3200 (447.703) - WD4PG2EE6G3156407

www.lastvin.com

This my car complete
About but car in Europe.
In Europe this car very high price , not have gas oil engine, more diesel.
And price .
I buy car in copart with crash left door and original mileage. In Europe it is possible to buy a car with reduced mileage.
10700$ +copart fee +-700$+ delivery +-2000$ + custom 3500$ + repair +-2000$ . ==+-19000$ it's good price for my country

 

[pounce]

Mercedes VIN Decoder | Decode Your Mercedes-Benz VIN

Datacard for 2016 Mercedes-Benz 121KB/ L 4X2 3200 (447.703) - WD4PG2EE6G3156407

www.lastvin.com

This my car complete

This is the van? Are you doing the work when it arrives?

 

[iurii]

Yes , repair in Ukraine
Buy new sliding door , and driver door
Yesterday buy 3 row seats 💺(500$)

 

[pounce]

Hope you were able to get some good detail shots of the pillar. Good luck. I've done a few of these on other brands in the past.

Looks like the rear lift gate has some damage also ,but probably repairable.

The seats for the Metris are different than the ones in Europe. They mount differently. You might benefit from swapping the rails and seats for the sliders and Vito seats in Europe. Simply more usable than the Metris seats. They slide and fold.

It's not a version update. Its a feature toggle.

 

[Cody7]

I just installed a hitch on my 2018 Metris. Mercedes dealers wouldn't do it after the original purchase. All aftermarket hitches for the Metris hang lower than the original equipment hitch. This is a big problem if you get a flat and need to access the spare tire underneath the chassis. There is no room to slide the spare out past the aftermarket hitch. You have to jack up the rear end to have the clearance to slide the spare tire out.

If you get a flat, don't you have to jack the van up anyways?
I just installed an aftermarket hitch to hang below my bumper and I'm happy with it...until I realized there's no connector for wiring and found this site. Welp, time to get to work.

 

[DaveM]

If you get a flat, don't you have to jack the van up anyways?
I just installed an aftermarket hitch to hang below my bumper and I'm happy with it...until I realized there's no connector for wiring and found this site. Welp, time to get to work.

With an aftermarket hitch, if you get a flat in the front, you have to (first) jack up both sides of the rear (at the same time - you'll need an extra jack stand) to be able to slide the spare tire out past the low hanging hitch. Then you can jack up the front tire and replace it with the spare. That's a lot of extra work. On my first road trip with my aftermarket hitch, I scraped it several times on uneven pavement (going in and out of gas stations). I wasn't even towing anything.

The few online vendors selling the OEM hitch were out of stock. Mercedes North America said that there were only two OEM (Metris) hitches in America at dealerships as of June 2021. I made arrangements directly with a dealer to purchase one of them, and then I had a local body shop replace the aftermarket hitch with the OEM hitch. The body shop did a great job modifying the bumper. The wiring harness work was previously done and working fine. I think this is a better looking solution, and it gives me peace of mind that I can easily access the spare tire as needed.

 

[syarak]

Anyone know what's going on with the OEM hitch availability? Is there a new part number?

Pelican Parts doesn't have it anymore, and their rep says they called MBUSA only to be told that the part has been discontinued. You can order it through OEM vendors, but when I give them my VIN, they say there's no hitch available. That goes for my local stealership and the online vendors. And yes, my van has code E58 on the build sheet.

Should I go ahead and make the order (sounds it's coming from DE and will take a few weeks) and risk that it doesn't fit?

With code E58, MB sells a US receiver trailer coupling (no electrical). Part number is: A 447 310 04 00 MSRP: $359
As for the additional components needed, they are:
A 020 545 40 26 -- Socket -- $54
A 447 540 62 36 -- Electrical Wiring Harness -- $57
A 447 900 41 05 -- Trailer Recognition Control Unit -- $306 (this is the successor/newest part number)
A 447 900 63 04 -- Trailer Recognition Control Unit -- $306 (this is showing as the predecessor part number, which tells me that once this stock is depleted, the one above is replacing)
N 0000 0000 32 76 -- Nut (6 of them needed) -- $2.40/each
N 9101 0501 20 01 -- Hexagon Screw (6 of them needed) -- $5.50/each


WIS-NET document number is AN31.10-S-8080EE Your techs should know what that means and be able to look it up.

 

[pounce]

I'm guessing upfitters snagged them. Doubt there was a huge stock anyway. Supply chain is brutal these days. Costs are 5x for containers in some cases.

 

[DaveM]

Anyone know what's going on with the OEM hitch availability? Is there a new part number?

Pelican Parts doesn't have it anymore, and their rep says they called MBUSA only to be told that the part has been discontinued. You can order it through OEM vendors, but when I give them my VIN, they say there's no hitch available. That goes for my local stealership and the online vendors. And yes, my van has code E58 on the build sheet.

Should I go ahead and make the order (sounds it's coming from DE and will take a few weeks) and risk that it doesn't fit?

A few months ago I installed an aftermarket hitch on my 2018 Metris. Mercedes dealers wouldn't do it after the original purchase. Unfortunately all aftermarket hitches for the Metris hang lower than the original equipment hitch. This is a big problem if you get a flat and need to access the spare tire underneath the chassis. There is no room to slide the spare out past the aftermarket hitch. You have to jack up the rear end to have the clearance to slide the spare tire out. Another problem is the aftermarket hitches hang so low that they scrape the ground on uneven pavement. I don't recommend getting an aftermarket hitch. However, I wasn't giving up so easily.

I contacted MBUSA and found out there were only two OEM hitches for the Metris in America (a couple of months ago). One was at a dealership in Massachusetts, the other one was in Oregon. I bought the one in Massachusetts. Be advised that the OEM hitch requires that the rear bumper be notched out (there is no bumper cover part with a notch). That's why Mercedes will not install the OEM hitch if your van didn't originally come with an OEM hitch. You will have to find a body shop which will cut the notch in your rear bumper cover, and also install the hitch, along with the wiring. Only some body shops will take this on. You will have to call around. It helps if you go to Google Images and print a photo of the OEM hitch with the notch cut out for reference. If you can't find the OEM hitch online or at dealerships, you can also check wrecked vans that might have an undamaged OEM hitch. Good luck.

 

[pounce]

Mercedes dealers wouldn't do it after the original purchase.

I don't think this is true. I had 2 offer to do it for me when I was shopping for a used Metris. It may have been the case with your dealer though.

It's not difficult to cut the bumper with a blade.

 

[syarak]

I don't think this is true. I had 2 offer to do it for me when I was shopping for a used Metris. It may have been the case with your dealer though.

It's not difficult to cut the bumper with a blade.

Yeah, I'm not worried about the install. Just wondering if A 447 310 04 00 is still the right part.

 

[icerabbit]

If it is OEM, a dealer should do it.

In the past though I have had refusals by dealers to install small aftermarket items or upgraded shocks, etc. If it does not have the brand logo on it, or it does not come from the accessories catalog, they're either contractually not allowed to do it or decline for liability reasons, or both.

 

[DaveM]

I don't think this is true. I had 2 offer to do it for me when I was shopping for a used Metris. It may have been the case with your dealer though.

It's not difficult to cut the bumper with a blade.

Well that was my personal experience. When the dealership asks for your VIN, they will not find a hitch associated with your car. There may be some MB dealerships that are smart enough to know that the bumper needs to be notched before the OEM hitch can be installed (assuming you can find one). The folks at my dealership were clueless, and they weren't even motivated because I was talking to them about a "Metris", and not an S Class.

 

[pounce]

Yeah, I'm not worried about the install. Just wondering if A 447 310 04 00 is still the right part.

Seems like:

Trailer Hitch - Part #447-310-00-04 | Mercedes Parts Center

Genuine OEM Mercedes-Benz Trailer Hitch, Part # 447-310-00-04. Fits 2016-2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris. Fast Shipping, Great Prices, Order Now!

www.mercedespartscenter.com

 

[icerabbit]

The images with that listing look weird, they do not look like a square bar with square receiver.

What’s the hook thing pointing to the ground? And the receiver bar looks like a round peg with a round 90 elbow? …
Going to have to try to crawl under mine and take a look.

 

[pounce]

The images with that listing look weird, they do not look like a square bar with square receiver.

What’s the hook thing pointing to the ground? And the receiver bar looks like a round peg with a round 90 elbow? …
Going to have to try to crawl under mine and take a look.

The link was less to validate the image. Plenty of posts in the thread about the part number being correct back a few pages.

 

[icerabbit]

Totally understand.
I am not trying to imply any error parts number wise. I just have never seen a tow bar depicted that way. Actually, I just figured out what the odd hand shaped hook may be ... something to receive the electrical socket?

 

[eduardpgc]

Hi all! In case someone is interested in getting the original MB trailer hitch find attached information about parts numbers and prices. I first contacted Pelican parts who sent me a quote for $647 (only the hitch part (447-310-00-04), not including bolts, nuts and plates) and offered a 10% discount. I also found mercedesbenzpartsstore (https://www.mercedesbenzpartsstore.com/.../mercedes-benz...) who had a better deal with a 31% discount. I ended up ordering from them together with the rest of the parts and everything went ok. Pictures attached with prices. I recommend getting it shipped just by how annoying it is to drive in LA since it is just $50. I am also looking for someone to install now in San Diego so if you have any recommenadations let me know!